Beijing is opening new hotels left and right just before the Olympics begin and you can now add Doubletree to the list of major hotel chains with vacancy in the host city.
The Doubletree by Hilton Beijing is an upscale, 547-room hotel located between the city's Central Office District and prestigious Financial District along the Southwest 2nd Ring Road in the new Lar Valley International mixed-use business complex.
The hotel is centrally situated within 10 km/6 mi of the historic Dong Cheng District and Tian'anmen Square, the red-walled Forbidden City and Imperial Palace, Beijing Zoo, Panjia Yuan Antique Market and the Temple of Heaven.
Oooooo...you had us at "upscale" so what does that mean for a Doubletree? Well the guestrooms feature contemporary decor (aka boring), high-speed internet and flat screen TVs along with the Sweet Dreams(TM) by Doubletree sleep experience which includes high-quality sheets and lots o' pillows.
The hotel cater will cater mostly to business travelers but does have a Chinese restaurant and they are still at work on a rooftop garden "featuring trees from around the world and a stream that presents a green oasis in the heart of the city."
Oh yeah, and the signature Doubletree Cookie will be served here too.
For a limited time, the Doubletree is celebrating RMB868 per night, about $127USD a night, plus 15 percent service. Advance booking and deposit are required.
There's tons of hotel news flying around this week and we don't have time to give each and every story the love and attention it may deserve, so you will have to settle for some news briefs.
· Hotel Sick: 30 British tourists fell ill, and one died while staying at the Grand Hotel Gardone near Lake Garda in Italy. Everyone ate from the hotel's restaurant and a salmonella contamination is suspected. [Canadian Press]
· More Bad News for Beijing Hotels: The hotel industry in Beijing is not going to do as well as predicted. Some put the blame on strict visa policies. [NY Times]
· Booking Sites in Trouble Again: A small New Jersey town joins others in suing popular online hotel booking agencies, claiming they don't pay the full hotel tax demanded by the city. [Newsday]
· No New Hotel for the Javits Center: The Javits Center plan for an expansion which included a 1,200-room hotel along 11th Avenue at 35th Street can now be filed in the Lost Hotel Files. [NY Observer]
So what's the final verdict on the newest Ritz in town? "Silver medal" says Times reviewer Fred Bernstein.
Bernstein was mostly impressed with the trademark Ritz service and also the fact that the room can go from full-of-sunlight to total blackout conditions with the touch of a couple buttons.
This apparently comes in handy if you're not fond of gazing at the Ritz logo, which is reportedly emblazoned "everywhere" in the room.
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by juliana
There's tons of hotel news flying around this week and we don't have time to give each and every story the love and attention it may deserve, so you will have to settle for some news briefs.
